Propolis is now a lucrative by-product of beekeeping for many beekeepers, because the natural antiseptic, which kills fungi and other pests in the hive, is becoming increasingly popular as an active ingredient in body and skin care products. In order to harvest the valuable bee glue profitably, however, some experience is required. Skilled beekeepers, for example, have long refrained from scratching the bee putty by hand from joints and cracks. On the contrary, experts often resort to artificial propolis grids, which can be bought in specialist shops.
The wedding for the Propolis harvest is late summer. During this time, the bee colonies are already carefully preparing for winter and, for this purpose, instinctively seal all the corners of their dwellings with a sticky mass, which they produce from flower secretions and saliva themselves. Most beekeepers bring their propolis grids into the magazine loot after the last feeding and formic acid treatment in September. Then leaks in the building become particularly noticeable, because the incubation circumference and thus the heat content in the stick is already decreasing. The lightweight plastic grilles are placed on the upper incubator – and the hard-working stuccoers immediately realize that there are countless holes to plug here. Once all the gaps have been closed, the grid can be removed as a whole and freed from its precious cargo by freeze-drying. Cold makes the Propolis brittle, which is why the raw material can be easily broken out of the plastic template after a cold treatment.
After harvesting, the raw sample is washed with high-percentage ethanol and sold as needed in larger chunks or processed as powder into extracts, tinctures, ointments and many other forms of preparation.
You will find best quality Propolis in many varations in our shop.
